A variety of medical treatment and diagnostic procedures require the infusion of fluids, such as the intravenous infusion of medications. Fluids are typically administered through a series of tube-like segments ultimately connecting a reservoir or syringe at one end to a needle inserted into the patient at the opposing end. The segments are typically connected through luer devices, which can be characterized generally as male to female connectors with helical threads.
There are a number of approaches for regulating the flow of fluid through medical tubing. One of the most common is a roller clamp that rolls across tubing in one direction to cutoff flow and in the opposing direction to permit flow. Other approaches have been developed for direct connection to luer devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,647,310 by Fangrow Jr. provides a technical approach where a male luer tip and rigid internal member extending into the passageway of the luer tip move relative to one another to open and close the distal most end of the male luer tip. One deficiency of this approach is that it is not applicable to many spike valve connectors since the internal member is rigid and cannot be displaced by the central spike of the spike valve.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,998 by Doyle provides at least two alternative approaches for a luer valve. A first approach is configured for connection to a spike valve where a resilient member is elastically displaced from a sealing position against a distal end of a tubular passage using the spike protruding from the spike valve. Once displaced or collapsed, the fluid is permitted to flow through the tubular passage and into the spike valve. A deficiency of this approach is that since opening the valve requires compressing the resilient member, the valve is not applicable to connectors that lack a central spike. In a different approach, a bladder is compressed proximally by a connecting luer (that lacks a spike) to move a forward end of the bladder away from a forward end opening of the tubular member. However, like Fangrow Jr., this approach would not apply to a spike valve because access through the forward end is permitted only after compressing the bladder with the complementary luer.
Accordingly, there remains a need to develop additional valve assemblies for medical applications that can be used with luer connectors that have spike valves and with luer connectors that lack a central spike. There also remains a continued need to ensure valves for medical applications that sealingly connect opposing fluid line connectors prior to valve opening that are easy to operate.